GAMAC Names Lauren Castellano, Director of the Anderson Children's Choir
/The Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium is thrilled to introduce Lauren Castellano as Director of the newly formed Anderson Children’s Choir. Formerly known as the GAMAC Children’s Chorus, the Anderson Children’s Choir is designed for talented boys and girls ages 8-10 to learn to read music, improve singing technique, enjoy new musical genres, and much more in a fun-filled way!
A dynamic and passionate music educator, Lauren Castellano has over a decade of experience teaching young singers of all ages throughout South Carolina and New Jersey. She currently serves as Choral Director for Belton and Honea Path Middle Schools in Anderson County School District 2 where she has previously directed the district-wide Children Chorus Clinic. Elsewhere in South Carolina, she is credited with rebuilding the choral music program for Chesterfield County Schools where she worked with students from high schools in Chesterfield and Cheraw, SC. Her work prior to moving south included teaching elementary general and vocal music to K-6 grade students at the Passiac Arts & Sciences Charter School and Sandshore School in Passaic and Budd Lake, New Jersey. Ms. Castellano holds a bachelors degree in Music Education from Rutgers University as well as a masters degree from Boston University.
In addition to teaching, Ms. Castellano is an active member of the South Carolina Music Educators Association (SCMEA) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and served as a speaker at the 2022 Spring ACDA Conference. She also serves as Director of Music at Youth Memorial Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Anderson.
Auditions for the Anderson Children’s Choir will be held on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 and Wednesday, July 20, 22 from 9am-1pm in the Choir Room at Trinity United Methodist Church. Children ages 8-10 will be asked to sing the 1st verse of America the Beautiful. Auditions are by appointment. Call 864-231-6147 to schedule an appointment for that young singer in your life!
The Anderson Children’s Choir is an ensemble of the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium, a 501 (C)3 not-for-profit performing arts organization serving Anderson, SC and the surrounding area. GAMAC is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission.
Guitarist Patrick Rice Comes Home
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The Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium (GAMAC) will present guitarist Patrick Rice with special guest guitarist, Daniel Sarkela, as part of its Coffeehouse Series on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7:00pm at The Market Theatre.
A native of Anderson, Patrick Rice is building an impressive performance career as a classical guitarist. A recent graduate of Furman University where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Guitar Performance, he has won several prestigious competitions including the Southern Guitar Festival & Competition, The Appalachian Guitar Festival, and The Columbus State Guitar Symposium. He participated in the U.S. premier of The Walls by Grammy award winning composer Sergio Assad with renowned guitarist William Kanengiser of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet followed by a performance of Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto with the Furman Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Edvard Tchivzel of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. In June of 2019, Patrick performed three world premieres in New York’s famed Carnegie Hall as one of forty American guitarists selected to be in the first ever U.S. Guitar Orchestra. A concert tour of France followed. In March 2021, he returned to the Furman Symphony Orchestra for their recording of Vivaldi’s Double Mandolin Concerto in G major.
In addition to his classical studies, Patrick is an avid bluegrass musician. Writing, performing, and recording bluegrass music with renowned fiddler, Dr. Andy Carlson, Patrick’s first bluegrass EP, Don’t Look Too Good, is now available for purchase.
Making his first GAMAC Coffeehouse appearance, Patrick’s performance on February 17 will feature a blend of classical and bluegrass guitar and more. He will be joined by guitarist Daniel Sarkela. A graduate student at Furman University, Daniel is a well known classical guitarist and luthier based in Greenville, SC.
Tickets to GAMAC’s Coffeehouse featuring Patrick Rice with guitarist Daniel Sarkela are priced at just $15 and may be purchased online at GAMAC.org. Tickets will also be available for sale at the door beginning at 6pm on February 17. The Market Theatre located at 110 Federal Street in the Anderson Arts Center complex in downtown Anderson, SC. Concessions will be on sale. Masks and social distancing will be required. For more information, please call GAMAC at (864) 231-6147.
This event is made possible with generous sponsorship support from Elaine & Brett Stoll. Additional support is also provided in part by the SC Arts Commission and the City of Anderson Accommodations Tax Fund.
Covid-19 Safety Plan
/Current as of 2/23/2022
GAMAC is committed to keeping our audience safe and preventing the spread of Covid-19 in our community. Though our first performance is not until November, we are monitoring local conditions and following recommended best practices from the CDC, SC DHEC, and AnMed Health.
Our February 27, 2022 performance featuring the Anderson Symphony Orchestra will be held in Henderson Auditorium in the Rainey Fine Arts Center at Anderson University. Protocols are as follows:
Masks are OPTIONAL
Auditorium seating at 50% capacity with seats and rows skipped to allow social distancing of 8ft or more among audience members
Shorter performance time without intermission to limit possible exposure
Contactless ticket sales
Hand sanitizing stations
Filtered HVAC with fresh air intake
Not feeling well? Stay home! If you are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms, please stay home.
Possibly exposed? Stay home! If you have been in close proximity to someone who later tested positive for Covid-19, please stay home.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact the Upstate, these protocols may be subject to change. Please check this page regularly for updates.
GAMAC’s ability to safely resume indoor performances depends on your cooperation.
Thank you for your understanding! We can’t wait to see you again!
Anderson Symphony Holds Auditions for New Members
/Anderson’s own civic orchestra, the Anderson Symphony Orchestra (ASO), will hold auditions for new members on Monday, August 19, 2019 and Tuesday, August 20, 2019 from 6pm to 9pm. Auditions are by appointment only and are open to all talented non-professional, professional and college student musicians. Exceptional high school student instrumentalists will also be considered. Musicians wishing to audition are asked to prepare a short piece of their own choosing. Sight-reading materials will be provided at the appointment. To schedule an appointment, please call the GAMAC office at (864) 231-6147.
Founded in 1975, the ASO is a group of volunteer musicians devoted to the joy of performing symphonic music. Conducted by Dr. Andrew Pettus, the ensemble is managed by the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium (GAMAC). The 2019-2020 Concert Season will mark the ASO’s 45th year of outstanding performances. The season will begin in November with a special collaboration among the ASO, Anderson University, and members of the GAMAC Chamber Orchestra in honor of Beethoven’s birthday titled Beethoven at 250 and featuring performances of the composer’s Egmont Overture, Choral Fantas,y and his beloved Symphony No. 5. Additional performances will include a mid-winter performance of Anderson’s Got Talent showcasing student vocalists and instrumentalists from Anderson University’s Music Department and a Pops celebration in early May.
Dr. Andrew Pettus was named conductor of the thriving community orchestra at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 concert season after serving in an interim capacity. Now in his 5th year as Director of Instrumental Music at the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University, Dr. Pettus is recognized for his high quality performances and devotion to music education. A native of Florence, AL, he holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in music education and pure mathematics from the University of Alabama, a Master of Music degree from the University of Miami in music education with emphasis in conducting, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota in conducting.
Anderson Symphony Orchestra auditions and membership are open to all talented instrumentalists regardless of race, religion, gender, or orientation. As a constituent ensemble of GAMAC, the ASO is funded in part by generous contributions from individuals and businesses in addition to funding from the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
GAMAC Chorale Holds Auditions for New Singers
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The Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium (GAMAC) Chorale under the direction of Dr. Don R. Campbell will hold auditions for new members on Tuesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 17, 2019 beginning at 4:00pm. Auditions will be held in the choir room at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1809 North Main Street, Anderson, SC—directly across from Ingles Supermarket. Signs will direct you to the choir room. Singers should come with their voices warmed up. All materials will be provided. Auditions are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please call the GAMAC office at (864) 231-6147.
The Chorale will perform three times this year as part of GAMAC’s 29th annual Masterworks Series. Performances will include an opening performance celebrating Dr. Campbell’s 10th season as conductor titled With One A-Chord as well as GAMAC’s annual Christmas concert featuring favorite carols performed with the GAMAC Chamber Orchestra. The final concert of the season titled Countdown to 50 will celebrate the Chorale’s 49 year history. Additional activities will include a Messiah Sing-Along, Christmas caroling in downtown Anderson in early December and social gatherings. Rehearsals will be held on Monday nights from August through April.
Renamed the GAMAC Chorale in 1990, the ensemble began in 1970 as the Anderson Civic Chorale. The ensemble continues to be a civic ensemble comprised of talented singers from all areas of the Upstate, South Carolina and neighboring Georgia. The mission of the group is to provide singers and audiences the opportunity to experience quality choral music performances of all genres and styles. Dr. Don R. Campbell, who serves as Director of Choral Music Activities at Southern Wesleyan University, was named conductor of the Chorale in 2010.
GAMAC Chorale auditions and membership are open to all talented adult singers regardless of race, religion, gender, or orientation. New members will find a diverse and welcoming community of singers dedicated to great music with a big dash of fun! The GAMAC Chorale is funded in part by generous contributions from individuals and businesses in addition to funding from the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
GAMAC Chorale Jazzes Up Concert Season
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The Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium, Inc. (GAMAC) Chorale will open the 28th annual Masterworks Series with All That Jazz on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at Boulevard Baptist Church at 7:30pm. Directed by Dr. Don Campbell, the evening will feature the GAMAC Chorale with vocalist Hale Baskin and pianist Colin Campbell performing jazz standards by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer and more. The GAMAC Children’s Chorus under the direction of Dr. Bob Heritage will also be featured.
Singer Hale Baskin has gained recognition as a rising star on the jazz scene with her clear voice and sure sense of swing. A three-time winner of Down Beat Magazine’s Award for Student Jazz Performance, she has performed with such notables as Arturo Sandoval, the Count Basie Orchestra and the Mike Vax Big Band. The San Francisco native is currently pursuing a Jazz Performance degree at the University of North Texas.
Pianist Colin Campbell studied Jazz Piano at the University of North Texas where he toured the US and UK as a member of the university’s premier One O’Clock Lab Band. He is a featured performer and writer on the band’s album titled Lab’11. Mr. Campbell is an active performer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area working with blues, gospel, soul, neo-soul, pop and jazz ensembles throughout Texas. He is often seen playing a Hammond B3 organ for Kenneth Copeland Ministries.
Ms. Baskin and Mr. Campbell will perform Bye Bye Blackbird, Can’t Help Loving That Man, and Orange Colored Sky among others. Additional highlights of the evening will include performances of such standards as Fever, You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Mood Indigo by the GAMAC Chorale with Hale Baskin as soloist. The GAMAC Children’s Choir will perform Irving Berlin’s Blue Skies and an arrangement of Natalie Sleeth’s Jazz Gloria.
Tickets to All That Jazz are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for children. Visit www.gamac.org or call the GAMAC office at (864) 231-6147 to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets will also be available for sale at the door beginning at 6:30pm on November 1. Patrons who bring a program book or ticket stub from The Market Theatre’s Addams Family will receive $5 off the ticket price. All That Jazz is made possible with generous sponsorship support from Piedmont Automotive.
GAMAC Receives Grants from Community Philanthropists
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pHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
GAMAC was honored to receive two generous operating support grants from local philanthropists at a special event hosted by the Foothills Community Foundation on October 25, 2017. Grants from Jeff and Danielle Roberts' Sol Flowers sunflower sale and the Louise Weston & Robert M. Rainey Donor Advised Fund were given in support of GAMAC's mission to entertain, educate, and enrich the quality of life in the Anderson area with high quality music education and performance opportunities. GAMAC board president, Diane Lee, executive director, Dana Gencarelli, and operations director, Stephanie Clark, and board member Julie Miller were in attendance. The event was sponsored by Countybank and Lilia Day Spa.
The Foothills Community Foundation is an independent public charity that stewards philanthropic resources from institutional and individual donors to community based organizations. For information, please visit www.foothillscommunityfoundation.org